


There and Back Again: A Tale of Companions

by bruiseviolet



Category: Onward (2020)
Genre: Anxiety Disorder, Bullying, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Elementary School, Elves, Family Feels, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Quests of Yore, Trolls
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:28:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24154321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bruiseviolet/pseuds/bruiseviolet
Summary: A boisterous elf and an anxious troll, both spurned and derided among their peers, found solace through a historically based role-playing scenario known as Quests of Yore. This is the story of Barley Lightfoot and Shrub Rosehammer and how their unlikely friendship took root. Sometimes all you need is one person to let you know that it's okay to be yourself.
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Barley makes a quick mention of Shrub Rosehammer in the film. Then he makes a brief appearance in the book, "Onward: The Search for the Phoenix Gem: An In-Questigation". Sadalia asks Shrub about Barley and he says:
> 
> "Yeah, well, I've known Barley forever. Since we were kids. You know Quests of Yore?".
> 
> I got the idea to write this when I responded to a headcannon on Tumblr. I wrote a short blurb about Barley as a kid. Then a lovely person reblogged my blurb and said that it was in-line with cannon because of the short mention of Shrub Rosehammer in the Onward book. Yay!
> 
> As always, thank you for reading. I will continue updating this until finished. It won't be very long though (unless the plot bunnies come to ravage my brain).
> 
> Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it.

A white minivan sped down the highway desperate to amble through morning traffic. Several drivers pounded on their horns and shook their fists as the clunky grimy vehicle swerved in and out between lanes. A voluptuous troll with a giant blonde pompadour wrapped within a pink floral scarf was at the helm of the minivan. In the passenger’s seat sat a tiny troll whose eyes were nearly obscured by his bowl shaped haircut. He gazed out the window and clutched his backpack like a life raft. On the dashboard a phone number blinked and her long rainbow colored nail created a clacking noise as she pressed on the screen.

“Hey, Frigg” a woman’s nasally voice came from the car stereo. “A few of your nail clients are waiting for you”

“I told Sharon to block off my schedule in the morning! You know it’s lil’ Shrubby’s first day in the third grade.” Frigg cooed and the little troll beside her flushed crimson as he moaned.

“Well, she didn’t and now they’re here.” The woman said with irritation.

“I’ll be there after I take the rest of the crew to Ma’s house and get little Shrubby on his way. Not a minute sooner. Sharon made the mistake and I’m not gonna bust my buns tryin’ to make up for it” The call ended and an electronic beat began to pound out of the speakers as hard driving guitars whirled like buzz saws. Frigg screeched along to the music like tone deaf seagull.

“We are floating above the mountains. Watching all the tiny people...”

In the back seat sat two grey car seats each with a wriggling chubby troll confined to it with several buckles and straps. A slightly older troll sat next to them fully engrossed in a handheld videogame that beeped and buzzed as his thumbs viciously attacked the buttons embedded within it. They lurched against their restraints as the car came to an abrupt stop. The tots screamed and giggled as they took turns pulling each other’s hair and tossing their toys at one another. Without looking up from his game, the troll swung his head to the side deftly avoiding the swift grab at his hair from the tiny hand beside him. Flipping down the sun visor Frigg smeared a hot pink tube of lipstick onto her plump lips. She lowered her cat eye sunglasses, gave herself a wink, and blew a kiss.

“Ma’! Do you have to sing?” the boy winced as he frantically stabbed the button on the car door causing his window to roll up.

“Oh come on, Shrubby” she said smacking her lips. “Don’t you wanna sing along with Uncle Mortiis? Remember how he sent you that nice painting for your birthday last year?”

Having had ample experience, Shrub ducked as a plastic toy hurled overhead and smacked against the dashboard. He turned to look in the back seat and frowned. “Quit it! Bragi why didn’t you stop them?”

The baby trolls cackled in delight. “Nuh uh, no way.” Bragi said shaking his head. “I tried that last time and Ullr bit me!”

“Ullr! Jotnar! No throwing. No biting.” Frigg said yelling over the music. “Bragi, get the diaper bag and hand them those frozen slugs”

The light turned green and the minivan lurched to life and careened down the street. The dusty minivan seemed to shudder a sigh of relief as it pulled into the parking lot and came to a stop. Frigg pulled a lever causing the trunk to pop open. She withdrew a black stroller that could fit five normal car seats comfortably within it. Clicks and ticks resounded as she went to work unhooking chords and unlatching buckles from the first of the car seats. Shrub got out of the car and pulled his backpack tightly to his chest. Before him stood a giant brick building with a metal flagpole out front. The windows appeared like black soulless eyes gazing at him. The white doors were giant teeth chomping as they swung open and closed ready to devour him. He could feel the ground rolling behind him. Closing his eyes, he rapidly sucked in and exhaled air as he trembled.

Frigg crouched down and placed her hand onto his back. “Shrubby, what would Elric the Brave do?” Frigg said softly as the troll babes screeched gaily from the confines of the stroller.

“H-he’d draw his sword and kill the monster” Shrub said. His breathing eased as his mother’s hand moved in small circles on his back.

“Okay, let’s roll to see what happens” Frigg withdrew a twenty sided dice from her pocket and rolled it around in her hand. “Oh wow, look what we have here!”

“Twenty! That’s a critical hit!” Shrub said with eyes round with elation.

“That’s right! Go get ‘em, baby” Frigg smiled as she gently pinched his plump cheeks.

Frigg pushed the stroller up the walkway towards the front office. “Bragi, hold onto the stroller.”

.....................................................................................

Laurel pushed her stroller down the walkway towards the front office. A chubby elf donning a red cape beneath his backpack held onto the stroller. With bottom lip stuck out he hummed to his self to keep the boredom at bay. An idea struck him causing his eyes to ignite before bolting off. Laurel took off after him and was careful not to make the stroller topple over as it bumped over tiny cracks and rocks on the ground. The tiny baby within the stroller remained fast asleep despite the commotion.

“Barley! Stop! Stop running!” Laurel yelled. With labored breath she caught up to the tiny elf.

He craned his neck to look up at the giant school building. His feet stood at the edge of a deep moat sloshing with water and rising from their depths were crocodiles with toothy smiles as they winked their eyes. Far above a castle loomed over him with stained glass windows alight with warm candlelight. Shadows passed in front of the windows and he wondered what great warriors await inside. Giant spires shot up from the rooftop of the school building looking as though they might pierce the skies.

“Lower the draw bridge great King! Together we can kill the dragon and get the gold!” Barley yelled. He withdrew a plastic sword from his backpack. Lifting his tiny fist to the sky he ran forward. Laurel grabbed the sword from his hand and caught him by the collar of his shirt.

“Remember, we made a compromise with the cape and those Viking boots I bought you from last Halloween. But I meant what I said. No swords at school!” Laurel said. She held the sword up high as Barley jumped up and down while swiping his hands in the air.

They returned to the front office and were greeted by an elf with a bob haircut and round glasses. She sat behind the front desk and her fingers tap danced on the keyboard as she gazed her monitor. The room was all a buzz as parents, along with their children, stood in line and others exited the office with children filled with gleeful expectations. Laurel stood behind a troll woman who greatly overshadowed her in height. She pointed to the seat with pursed lips and Barley threw himself down upon it as he crossed his arms. She’d watch the line and look ahead to see if there was any movement and spring her gaze back to Barley with a vigilant glare.

Bragi plopped down into one of the seats that lined the wall and continued pounding his fingers against his video game. He propped his feet on the coffee table and caught the withering glare his Mother gave him from over her sunglasses. With a sour harrumph he placed his feet onto the carpet. Shrub sat next to his brother as his tiny round eyes gazed around the room.

Frigg pushed the stroller up the front desk. “Hey Shirley. How’s the fam?” Frigg said grasping the clipboard and the pen attached to it with a tiny chain. Soft scratches came from the pen as she breezed through the many forums attached.

“Doing well, Frigg! Back again!” Shirley said.

“Yeah, it’s Shrubby’s first day” Frigg said. “For Merlin’s sake, they add more paperwork every year!”

“I know what you mean. The schoolboard continues to add regulations and it makes my job all the more complicated” Shirley said as she grabbed the clipboard. “Any medications this year?”

Frigg withdrew a large bottle from her diaper bag with a label saying, “Ymer’s 10,000 SPF Sunscreen”. “Shrubby will need to reapply this after lunch and before recess. We had a scare last year with Grendel not wantin’ to wear his sunscreen and a patch of his skin turned to stone. Luckily it was just the skin and we didn’t have ta’ amputate his arm. So the doctor said we could get a skin graft. But, gods, was it gruesome to look at. They had to cut off the stone and then put this mesh thing onto of the bloody wound before they could apply the new skin. Here, I have pictures”

Frigg lifted her phone and the poor woman turned a deep shade of green before quickly pivoting her face back to her computer screen. “O-oh, that’s horrible”

“Ain’t it though? It reminds me of a hilarious story with my hubby and I back in High school” Frigg said with a short laugh. “On the night of the homecoming dance my hubby, who at the time was just my boyfriend, said that he had turned to stone. I panicked thinkin’ everything was ruined and we’d have to spend the night in the Emergency Room. Nine months later my little Rose was born”

Shirley howled as she flipped through stacks of papers while pausing to pair and staple certain documents together. Others in the office tittered awkwardly as they exchanged apprehensive glances. An elderly elf cooed as she reached out to stroke the cheeks of the tots within the stroller. The eyes of the babes glimmered as grins cartoonishly curved upwards on their plump faces. Frigg glanced downward. “Not a good idea, hun”

“What, dearie? Did I do something wrong?”

“Not unless you want to draw back a numb” Frigg said pulling the stroller closer to herself. The tots continued to watch the elderly elf’s finger with narrowed eyes filled with longing. “They’re in their chomping phase”

“Chomping phase?” the elderly woman said recoiling.

“Oh that’s right. Trolls are born with teeth” Shirley said.

“Yeah, and very sharp one’s too” Frigg said. “Believe me, after eight kids I’ve got tits made of steel”

The nervous chuckles slowly died as those within the office turned various shades of pink. Meanwhile Shirley’s laughter increased in pitch and hiccuped with snorts as she wiped tears from her eyes. Laurel’s shoulders shook as she laughed discreetly. Shrub held his backpack over his face as he slid down into the seat.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Dryad is a tree nymph or a tree spirit. They're very ancient faerie whose hearts are intertwined with the forests and therefore the heart of magic itself. As a child I encountered this type of fae while reading CS Lewis's books and I fell in love.

The soft murmur of chatter smeared in a garbled wall of sound. He forced his legs to continue forward as the floor stretched before him like melted cheese. The rows of classroom doors decorated with pumpkins and witches hats pulled upwards as they crept closer and closer causing the air to feel thick and smothering. His head swirled and his fingertips tingled. The click of his Mother’s kitten heels and the rhythmic tinging of her gold bangs echoed off the walls and washed over him causing ripples of serenity. He clutched his Mother’s arm and she looked down at him with a warm smile. She lifted a piece of paper and looked over her sunglasses at it with squinted eyes.

“Room 314. Mrs. Greenleaf” Frigg muttered.

Shrub looked down the hallway and his throat bobbed. His classroom was only two doors away. He clutched the sleeve of her leopard print top. “Momma please. Don’t go. I wanna stay home” Shrub whispered.

Frigg stopped at a door with a black and orange wreath donned with bats and tiny ghosts. Beneath the wreath sat giant letters saying, “Mrs. Greenleaf’s classroom. Room 314”. She knelt down and pulled her son into a firm embrace. It pierced her soul every time and she wondered if her inability to toughen up made her a failure as a parent in some way. How she yearned to scoop him up and hide him away from it all. “Baby, if it was up to me I would let you stay home. But the doctors say this is good for you.”

“Please” Shrub said in a trembling voice.

Frigg took off two bands from each wrist and slid them onto his. “These magic gold bracelets were blessed by Odin himself!” Frigg said. Shrub’s eyes widened as he gaped in awe. “Shake them and their chimes will scare away all the bad guys around you”

“I’m never taking them off!” Shrub said. He smiled wide showing his loose tooth and the gap where the other had fallen out. He shook his wrists and giggled when the chimes filled the air.

“Elric the Brave, you are now blessed by the gods to go on a new and exciting quest in the realm of Mrs. Greenleaf!” Frigg said. She stood up and grinned as she placed her hands onto her round hips. “Do you accept?”

“Yes!” Shrub said.

“Momma, I wanna go too. I wanna wear ‘em too.” Bragi whined.

“No, this is only for Elric the Brave.” Frigg said. “I’m taking you to the quest of Kindergarten later.”

In the classroom desks were clustered in pairs of four with their front ends pushed together. The walls were decorated with a large calendar with scribbled notes on the edges and a large multicolored carpet with numbers and trains. Glossy posters portraying blocky white font with words such as cooperation, respect, and teamwork were printed atop photos of cyclops and elves running through fields and climbing mountains. Their teacher, who was a tall tiefling with red hair pulled back in a large bun and square spectacles perched on her pointed nose, passed out construction paper in a rainbow of hues. Bottles of glue, boxes of markers, tins of buttons, and bowls of puff balls sat on the center of each group of desks.

“Okay class, today we’re going to create our own name tags for our desk. If you need help cutting something, please ask me or the teacher’s aide for help” Mrs. Greenleaf said.

Barley grabbed the bottle of glue and it sputtered as he squeezed a heaping glob of the sticky white substance into his palm. With a toothy grin he rubbed his hands together savoring the sensation of the cool viscous liquid coating his skin.

“Ew! Why are you doing that?” a centaur boy, sitting next to Shrub, asked as he scrunched his nose in disgust.

“It feels goood” Barley said. “Then when it dries I can pick it off. I used to pull off my hangnails and the dead skin from my hands. But my Momma said that’s nasty and that I shouldn’t do it. Now I pick off glue”

“You better stop that or Imma tell” the centaur boy said looking quite horrified.

Barley eyed the bottle and a twinkle of mischief shown in his eyes. He sniffed his hands before grabbing the bottle of glue and squirting a huge blog of it into his mouth. He looked contemplative and smacked his lips as though a sommelier at a wine tasting.

“Not bad!” Barley said.

The two children at the table shrieked in disgust and Shrub sat in silence while looking on with fascination. “Yuck. You’re disgusting”. The cyclops girl, who sat next to Barley, said as she scooted her chair away from him. “Teacher! Barley’s eating paste!”

“Oh gods, I’m so glad it’s non-toxic.” Mrs. Greenleaf muttered to herself. “Barley, paste is not for eating! Do that again and I’ll take it away”

Barley shrugged his shoulders and peeled off a rather large translucent piece of dried glue from his hands. He held it up to the light and marveled at the lines from his hands that were embedded within it. A bell clanged mercilessly on the school speaker and the classroom went into an uproar of chatter.

“Alright class, line up. Now it’s time for recess”

......................................................................

The autumn chill sat in the air tingling noses and the cold wind brushed against your face in a flirtatious caress creating rosy cheeks in all. Orange, red, and yellow leaves decorated the tops of the trees and floated through the air to create a mosaic of colors on the ground. Children dressed in thick coats, scarves, and gloves ran through the lush grass of the playground. Some swung on the monkey bars while others climbed on the jungle gym. A cluster of boys kicked a soccer ball around the open field. Barley ran through the throng of boys. He jumped up and down while waiving his hands.

“I’m open! Kick the ball to me!” Barley yelled excitedly.

The boys paused and turned their bemused gazes onto him. “You’re not a part of our group.” a cyclops said.

“Yeah, who asked you?” another boy snickered.

“I just thought...” Barley stammered.

“Get out of here Sir. Buttley. Go eat some more paste” The boys all crowed with laughter.

A pained look crossed Barley’s face and it quickly disappeared as he crossed his arms and threw his head back guffawing in a grandiose manner. He grabbed a large stick from the ground and pointed it at the boys. “Now you’re gonna get it” Barley smirked. The laughter died and the boys all began to step backwards. “Aganazzar’s Scorcher!”

Barley made whooshing noises as he moved the large stick through the air. Their laughter erupted once more and escalated into a raucous din. Turning around he ran as fast and hard as his stubby legs were willing. Briefly closing his eyes Barley imagined his feet lifting from the ground. He could feel the wind rushing beneath his cape as it tumbled freely and his heart beat pounding in his ears. Sticking his hands out front he vibrated his lips. Beneath a large willow tree sat Shrub with his Viking-Orc action figure in hand. He watched as Barley ran across the field and into parts unknown to him.

A large wall of vines and thickets barred him for running any further. Barley collapsed to his knees as tears rolled down his cheeks. Through his blurred vision he saw a hole in the wall of fauna and crawled through. It opened to a large clearing and over head the vines formed into a dome where the sunlight illuminated the branches and the crimson oak leaves. Barley stood up and held the stick over his head then stabbed it into the ground.

“I claim this new land for Sir. Barley of the Lightfoot clan” Barley said placing his fist onto his chest.

Tiny pink worms wriggled as the slinked through the dirt. Barley crouched down and smiled at their slimy parade. Several large beetles shone in the muted daylight as colors of blue, turquoise, orange, and green iridescently reflected off their shells. Barley dug his fingers into the dirt and squished it between his fingers. He cupped a mound of dirt and within it several quite worms and beetles shook their spindly appendages in alarm.

“Hello, my name’s Barley. Let’s be friends!” Barley lifted the mound of bug infested dirt to his ear and made affirming grunts as though he was deeply in conversation with someone of high standing. “What’s that? A witch transformed you? That’s terrible! You can come with me. I’ll keep you safe. There are deadly monsters somewhere in these forests that like to play soccer.”

With fingernails and hands incrusted with black globs of dirt he shoved the pile along with his new slimy friends into his pocket.

“Now I will cast a circle of protection.” Barley began to spin in a circle as he sang. “Circle of light protection and might. Let no evil be in my sight!”

He stopped spinning and the world continued to swirl before his eyes. His feet dance in a zigzag pattern and eventually lost their footing. With a soft thump he tumbled to the ground giggling all the way. Branches snapped and he inhaled quickly. “Who’s there?” Barley said. He came to his feet as he clenched his fists. “You can’t come in here ‘cause this land belongs to the Clan of Lightfoot only!”

Round eyes partially covered by a mop of brown hair peered through the hole. Barley began to crawl through and only saw the back of a bulky troll as he hurried away.

................................................

The stone walls of the lunchroom were covered with banners painted in purple and gold and quotes emphasizing the importance of good nutrition. Long wooden tables were lined in rows and children filled their benches as they opened their lunchboxes and traded foods. Excited chatter and the warm smell of chicken being fried wafted through the air. Standing in a neat row Mrs. Greenleaf’s class marched into the lunchroom. Most of the class dispersed to the lunch tables carrying their lunch bags in various colors and shapes. Barley and Shrub entered the lunch line and peered through the glass at the steaming trays for food. Chicken nuggets, breadsticks, fruit salad, creamed corn, and broccoli were piled high as their luscious vapors caused water to spring into their mouths.

Behind the glass stood several women with dark brown skin that had the tough texture and deep set vertical lines found within bark. From beneath their light blue blouses and black aprons grew green tufts of moss, leaves, and tiny flowers. The moss atop their head was large and thick poofing out like an untamed bush. Shrub stifled a giggle, for he was taught such things were rude, as their translucent caps squashed their hair into an awkward mushroom shape. The first woman smiled causing the wrinkles on her face to deeply crease making her to appear even more treelike. Shrub held up his laminated name tag and stuck onto the bottom corner was a red sticker with the words “free lunch” written in black ink. The Lunch Lady nodded and grabbed her metal ladle.

“Oh, here’s our tender hearted boy.” A Lunch Lady cooed. The other Lunch Ladies grinned and waved. Shrub felt his cheeks warm as he returned the gesture. “What’ll it be today, little one”

“I-I, uh, my Momma said to give you this” Shrub stammered. Within his hand was a tiny folded piece of paper and he thrust it towards them. She gingerly unfolded the paper and pulled on her spectacles. The letter read:

Hello my loves!

Thanks a bunch for taking care of my family all these years. As always I’m waiting at the salon to give you complimentary spa treatments. It’s the least I can do. Don’t “forget” or I’ll come by and pick you up myself! You know little Shrubby. He’s a growing troll and the regular portions sure ain’t enough. Our doctor prescribes a special diet for troll children and his note is stapled to this letter. If anyone gives you any problems, call me, and I’ll be down there raisin’ hell.

Stay fierce ladies,

Frigg Rosehammer

The Lunch Lady smiled then refolded the paper and stuck it into the pocket of her apron. “Tell your Mother we’ll come by later today with food from our gardens”

Shrub nodded. She reached beneath the counter and withdrew plastic tray that was double in size. They passed the tray along as they scooped heaping mounds of food into each compartment within the tray. “Would you like a juice box, griffin milk, or chocolate griffin milk?”

“Chocolate! Uh, I mean, please and thank you.” Shrub exclaimed as a Lunch Lady placed the carton on his tray. He walked briskly towards his favorite spot careful only to look at the walls or the food upon his plate.

Barley came to the first of the Lunch Women and cleared his throat as he found this sound to be quite adult and very heroic. The kindly old women served in the lunchroom his previous year and Barley always looked forward to seeing them. When they spoke goosebumps rose on his skin as their soft words felt ancient and esoteric. In conversation one would immediately finish off after the other creating a seamless stream of consciousness. He often wondered whether they could read each other’s minds. With a large grin he bowed low. “Afternoon fair Lunch Maidens! Thank you for making a big feast after our long day of adventuring!”

The Lunch Ladies smiled and bowed in kind. “Such wonderful manners, little Barleycorn.”

“I miss the days of old when elders were treated with respect such as this” The Lunch Ladies all nodded and grumbled.

“We dryad have been guardians of the earth for thousands of years. Keepers of the secrets of magic. Yet none want to hear the tales anymore. None believe.” Another Lunch Woman said. The Lunch Ladies all shook their heads somberly causing leaves and pedals to rain down onto the floor. Luckily none got into the food.

“Magic is the heart of our people. Of all people. Without it we lose our identity”

“Magic is real! I knew it! Everyone laughed at me but in my heart I could feel it” Barley said with eager eyes. “Please teach me magic! And, tell me the tales. I wanna hear every story you got.”

“We will always tell the tales to those who will listen! As for magic we will feel the movement of the wind and read the seasons of the earth. Then we will see if it is your time”

“It is good to see there is still one whose heart’s fire burns with the passion of yesteryear”. The Lunch Ladies murmured in agreement. “What else can we do for you, our little Barleycorn?”

Shrub sat at a barren table in the far corner of the room using his knife to separate each of the foods from one another. Barley gawked adoringly at Shrub’s tray. “Can I get a tray like Shrub’s?”

“Sorry dear. He has a doctor’s note”

“Yeah, but I always come back for seconds. And, it would be faster for you just to give me a big tray instead”

“How deft of tongue for one so young” The Lunch Lady looked askance at Barley with a delighted smirk. “Ladies, doesn’t he remind you of the Ranger of the North?”

The Ladies whispered to one another in a language that Barley couldn’t understand. Their words felt like the howling wind rustling through the leaves on the trees and the rain pounding on the thirsty earth. She withdrew another humongous tray and they passed it along while scooping double portions into each compartment. Barley rubbed his dirt covered hands together as he licked his lips.

“Thank you fair Lunch Maidens.” He grabbed the tray and ran to the nearest lunch table and plopped down. He grabbed two chicken nuggets, drowned them in the pool of ranch, and shoved both into his mouth. Twisting off the cap of his apple juice he gulped loudly as he chugged nearly half of the bottle. Wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve he continued shoveling food into his mouth. His classmates gaped at him with revulsion. One by one they lifted from their seats eventually leaving Barley to himself.

**Author's Note:**

> \- Mortiis is a musician noted for creating the genre known as "Dungeon Synth". 
> 
> \- I thought it would be fun to include him in this story since his shtick is to dress up like a troll/goblin during shows. 
> 
> \- He's a huge fan of John Bauer's art too (who is known for drawing beautiful paintings of trolls and other fantasy creatures).
> 
> \- In Norse mythology sunlight is deadly to trolls. They're only seen at night or nightfall. I wondered how Trolls would live in the world of Onward and still be day-dwelling creatures. So I came up with the sunscreen idea.


End file.
